LP denies withdrawing petitions against Tinubu, others

The Labour Party (LP) has denied withdrawing the cases instituted by its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

Acting national publicity secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, said this in a statement yesterday.

Obi is challenging the outcome of the presidential poll, won by Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the APC candidate, at the election tribunal.

Ifoh said the suspended deputy national chairman of the party, Alhaji Lamidi Apapa, has approached all the election tribunals wherein the Labour Party has pending matters including that of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, asking for the withdrawal of cases.

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“We are by this statement informing all arms of the judiciary, including the tribunals and courts to ignore the ignoble antics of these compromised suspended members of the party. We are also calling on the police, DSS and EFCC to arrest these enemies of democracy.

“Daily, the evil intention of the breakaway faction of the LP, led by the suspended Lamidi Apapa, continues to manifest and just this morning, our legal team was confronted by the stark revelation that these men have advanced their plot by approaching all the tribunals where our numerous candidates lodged their election petitions arising from the recently held general elections,” Ifoh said.

He said approaching the tribunals to withdraw all the cases lodged by LP candidates across the board is the height of subterfuge and treachery, and Nigerians will resist this ploy to plunge the nation into unnecessary turmoil.

“The leadership of the LP is therefore calling on the tribunals to disregard any letter emanating from our suspended national legal adviser, Samuel Akingbade, to the effect that all our cases are to be withdrawn. We are also calling on the presidential election tribunal to disregard such letters from these ex-officials of our party asking for the withdrawal of Obi’s petition,” he said.